HOCKEY

HOCKEY; Amonte's Price May Keep Him Adrift

By JASON DIAMOS

Published: July 11, 2002

While the National Hockey League announced yesterday that the Rangers would kick off the N.H.L.'s 86th season in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday evening, Oct. 9, against the defending Eastern Conference champion Carolina Hurricanes, it is still anybody's guess as to where Tony Amonte will be that day.

A league official said Amonte was seeking an average salary of $7 million a season, a price that appears too high for both the Rangers and the Islanders, the teams that have shown the most interest in him this week.

''Somebody's going to get him soon,'' Mike Gillis, Amonte's agent, said Tuesday night.

But the Rangers are waiting to see what the market for Amonte, a 31-year-old wing, turns out to be before they decide whether they want to bid formally for him. The Philadelphia Flyers learned Tuesday that their top forward, John LeClair, would be sidelined indefinitely with another herniated disk in his back. But unless the Flyers reverse their thinking and bid for Amonte, he could be waiting awhile.

The Islanders probably cannot afford Amonte at $6 million a season or higher. And even though Amonte, who starred for the Chicago Blackhawks, would prefer a longer-term deal, the Rangers and the Islanders would rather sign him to a two-year contract.

The Islanders, fresh off their first playoff appearance since 1994, open their season Thursday night, Oct. 10, in Buffalo against the Sabres. The Devils open the same night in Ottawa.

The Rangers' Madison Square Garden opener is Friday night, Oct. 11, against the Montreal Canadiens. The Islanders and the Devils open at home on Oct. 12, when the Islanders are host to the Washington Capitals at Nassau Coliseum and the Devils play the Columbus Blue Jackets at Continental Arena.

The Rangers play the Devils for the first time on Nov. 21, in New Jersey, where Bobby Holik will return to Continental Arena for the first time as a member of the Rangers. Holik, who played the last 10 seasons with the Devils, spurned a five-year, $41.25 million offer from them to sign a five-year, $45 million deal with the Rangers.

On Nov. 23, the Rangers will be host to the Islanders in the first meeting between the teams since Darius Kasparaitis, a fan favorite when he played with the Islanders from 1992 to 1996, signed a six-year, $25.5 million deal with the Rangers this summer.

The N.H.L.'s biggest highlight on opening night, Oct. 9, should come at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where the Kings will retire Wayne Gretzky's No. 99 before they play the Phoenix Coyotes, the team Gretzky serves as the managing partner.

The league's 1,230-game schedule will conclude April 6, the earliest an N.H.L. season has ended since 1991-92 (April 5).